Status Update: How companies, nonprofits gave this year to local families in need

Jan 4, 2022

The holiday season has brought a tidal wave of giving from local residents and companies to area nonprofits. Here are just a few from December …

Credit union gives $13,500

Orange County’s Credit Union donated $13,500 to local nonprofits this holiday season. Here’s a look at the recipients:

• $10,000 went to CHOC’s Deck the Halls, including sponsorship for Seacrest Studio’s Santa Hotline and decorations for a CHOC Clinic. The credit union donated volunteer hours to put together 300 cheer bags for patients – tie-dye pillowcase kits.
• $1,000 – Children Today Holiday Toy Drive;
• $250 – Western Youth Services Toy Drive;
• $1,000 – CrimeSurvivors, Survivors Hope Fund Thanksgiving & Christmas Basket Program;
• $500 – Orange County Fire Authority’s annual Toy Drive;
• $500 – the city of Tustin’s Holiday Basket Program. Volunteer hours also were provided to help wrap packages;
• $250 – California Families in Focus toy drive.

Turkeys, books and more

Orange County United Way delivered nearly 400 turkey vouchers and produce bags, 350 holiday literacy kits, 15 Christmas trees, and adopted 35 families in its SparkPoint OC program.

SparkPoint OC helps families create personal financial plans to become self-sufficient. The plans help them get out of debt, go back to school, or learn how to budget.

All donations went to families of the SparkPoint OC program, whose school locations include Horace Mann Elementary in Anaheim, Salk Elementary in Anaheim and Washington Elementary in Santa Ana. Food and present distribution was done with help from SparkPoint partner Abrazar.

LoanDepot lends many helping hands

LoanDepot in Foothill Ranch was the title sponsor for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Orange Coast “Winter Wonderland” event, which helped bring the spirit of the holidays for 1,000 children in the program.

Winter Wonderland at four local Boys & Girls Clubs included toys, crafts, cookies and hot cocoa for kids in the community.

The non-bank lender said this year’s contributions for local kids and their families totaled $715,000.

Company execs and team members volunteered to help wit the event and hosted a toy drive, providing hundreds of gifts for attendees.

“Our partnership is the essence of collective impact, as our two organizations share a passion for providing support to families who are most vulnerable, leveraging our resources and talent so we can do good together,” said Robert Santana, CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Orange Coast. “We’re extremely grateful for their support, especially during these trying times.”

LoanDepot also supported Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, United Cerebral Palsy of Orange County, War Heroes On Water and its 501c3 partner Freedom Alliance, and Free Wheelchair Mission donating a total of $250,000.

Pimco donates 1,200 pounds of food

Newport Beach-based Pimco hosted its 14th annual “Share the Harvest” drive-through donation event.

Employees donated 1,216 pounds of food such as canned goods and nonperishable items, diapers, baby formula and toys that were distributed by the OC Food Bank ahead of the holiday season.

Pimco also donated money to help the food bank buy 14,000 pre-packed food boxes that will benefit Orange County families.

For more information about the OC Food Bank, go to capoc.org/oc-food-bank.

Pacific Dental partners help kids, families

Irvine-based Pacific Dental Services and its 13,000 clinicians and team members across the U.S. contributed $8 million in donated dentistry, 53,584 volunteer hours and $648,369 in donations this year.

PDS said its member practices hosted drives to collect goods, support charity partnerships and provide team members paid volunteer time to help an organization of their choice.

With help from the PDS Foundation, clinicians and team members also traveled to Guatemala to provide dental treatment at Clinica Dental in Xenacoj.

Helping a family of 12

Garden Grove-based Alkemist Labs presented gifts to a local family of 12 as a part of Community Action Partnership of Orange County’s annual “Hope for the Holidays” adopt-a-family program.

The team at Alkemist Labs donated toys, clothes and other gifts such as books, games, stuffed animals and gift cards to the Umar family.

Grant for OCC Photography

Orange Coast College’s School of Photography is the recipient of a $450,000 grant from the William, Jeff and Jennifer Gross Family Foundation.

The money will help the college establish the Jeff Gross Photography Endowment, funding the purchase and repair of photography equipment for students. The grant also will pay for more advanced photography students to serve as tutors for entry-level peers.

At OCC, students in the photography program use a broad range of photo equipment, including film and digital cameras, lenses, light kits and more.

The college said equipment rentals are available to all enrolled photography students for a low fee to ensure “the program remains accessible to everyone, regardless of socioeconomic circumstances.”

Milestones

Irvine-based Sunwest Bank, a privately held business bank, has been named an honoree of The Civic 50 Orange County by OneOC and Points of Light, an organization dedicated to volunteer service. The Civic 50 Orange County initiative sets a standard for “corporate citizenship,” showcasing how companies can use their time, skills, and resources to drive social impact at work and in their communities.

Lake Forest-based Panasonic Avionics Corp. has been named the winner of the 2021 Popular Science Best of What’s New Award in its Aerospace category. The company won the award for its eX1 in-flight entertainment system for narrow-body aircraft. The Bluetooth audio technology enables simple connections between wireless headphones and seatback entertainment screens. The system debuted earlier this year on United Airlines’ Boeing 737 MAX fleet along with Cathay Pacific Airways.

The MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center has been reaccredited as a comprehensive center by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program. The industry group’s standards mean that metabolic and bariatric patients will get multidisciplinary medical care, which can improve patient outcomes and long-term success. MBSAQIP-accredited centers offer pre-op and post-op care designed for patients with obesity.

Original post: https://www.ocregister.com/2021/12/27/status-update-how-companies-nonprofits-gave-this-year-to-local-families-in-need/